bestfiction Chapter 82 Investigation
Chapter 82 Investigation
As soon as Xia Li stepped off the carriage, she looked up and saw a sea of people, a scene of great liveliness.
The order of nobility is generally from king to duke, marquis, earl, viscount, baron. Although the title of the Earl of Dongping is not high, he still has military power.
How can a title of honor that is merely a verbal honor be as important as real power in the military?
In fact, the reason why the Dongping Marquis's Mansion was able to rise above all other marquis's mansions was due to a choice made by the heir apparent.
Now, Zhou Qingyu, the heir apparent of the Earl of Dongping, is not only a fierce general himself, but he also commands 15 troops formerly under the command of the Prince of Jin on the frontier. It is said that a few years ago, he won a brilliant victory on the frontier, washing away the humiliation of the Prince of Jin's (Nangong Hao's) disastrous defeat. This greatly pleased the Emperor, who asked him what reward he desired. He replied:
"Your Majesty, I would like to ask for a favor. In the future, when you reward me, could you please only bestow upon me gold, silver and jewels?"
When the emperor asked him the reason, he replied in a half-joking tone: "As everyone knows, I am afraid of my wife. My wife is a merchant and loves money the most. If Your Majesty is going to bestow a reward, please give me some common things so that I can take them home to please my wife. As for other things, especially the beauty, I dare not accept them. I am afraid that my wife will be angry and I will have to fight with the dog in front of the door for a place to sleep from now on."
The emperor was extremely satisfied with his explanation, but still pretended to be stern and said, "How dare she refuse the beauty I bestowed upon her?"
"One person is enough for me in this life. If Your Majesty were to send me such a gift, I fear I would return it before it even reaches my doorstep. Therefore, from now on, Your Majesty may bestow upon me only money; I will not accept anything other than gold, silver, and jewels."
The emperor was inherently hesitant, fearing that granting power and status would disrupt the balance he had established; otherwise, he wouldn't have asked what the man wanted but would have simply bestowed the reward. Zhou Qingyu's words resonated with the emperor, but with the war recently ended and the treasury empty, he couldn't afford a sufficient reward. Therefore, the emperor placed him in charge of the 30 troops in the suburban camp, which was directly under the emperor's command and responsible for guarding the capital. The emperor reasoned that it would take several years to subdue such a large force, and he would find an opportunity to take it back later.
Regardless of the emperor's thoughts, to outsiders this meant the emperor's favor. As a result, the status of the Marquis of Dongping rose sharply.
In addition, the emperor recently ordered his second daughter, Zhou Qinghuai, to marry the third prince, pending the imperial decree.
This is why there are so many people here today, with many prominent families eager to curry favor.
However, since it was not a day off, officials had to attend court, and most of those present were women and a few young men.
Ah Li was pleasantly surprised, which made it easier for her to promote the product.
Some bolder girls went straight up to ask, "What's your name, miss? Your outfit is really unique, which clothing store did you buy it from?"
Xia Li didn't keep them in suspense and said with a smile, "I bought this dress from Jin Yu Man Tang. Their fabrics are top-notch and their styles are novel. Just yesterday, they got a few new Rainbow Feather Robes, and I only bought one of them, which already cost a lot of money!"
Upon hearing this, the noble ladies immediately started a conversation: "Jin Yu Man Tang is very famous recently. Their designs are unique, and I heard that even the empresses in the palace are scrambling to buy them!"
"Their clothes are really beautiful; I bought some a while ago."
"Is that so? How about we go for a stroll sometime tomorrow?"
"Sure, I heard they sell not only clothes but also jewelry. We could spend a whole day there."
"Okay, okay."
"..."
As for the price, the women didn't care... What a joke! How could anyone who could attend the flower-viewing banquet at the Dongping Marquis's residence be of humble status? The entire gathering was dominated by the powerless and insignificant Beiliang Marquis's residence.
Jin Yu Man Tang was not opened in Xia Li's name, nor does it belong to her alone. Therefore, apart from those in the know and the Marquis of Beiliang's family, no one knows who owns Jin Yu Man Tang. All that is known is that it has a powerful force behind it.
Xia Li seized the opportunity to promote the product, and many young ladies said they would go to Jin Yu Man Tang to take a look. Some were so eager that they even sent their maids to buy the latest styles in advance, fearing that they would miss out if they were late.
Meanwhile, looking at Xia Li surrounded by a group of noble ladies, Xia Wanwan said resentfully, "Hmph! No wonder she left early, it turns out she went to Jin Yu Man Tang to change clothes."
Damn it, if I had Jin Yumantang, I would be the one wearing such beautiful clothes.
The maidservant beside her whispered, "Miss, don't worry about her. She's just trying to attract attention. Besides, the more famous she becomes, the more embarrassing it will be for her later."
Xia Wanwan nodded, her mood immediately improving. Let her be smug for a while; the higher she flies now, the harder she'll fall later.
After talking for a while, everyone gradually went inside.
As they entered the mansion, the steward loudly announced the gifts presented by the visitors:
"The Second Princess presented a pair of luminous pearls."
“One bushel of pearls from the third young lady of the Rongguo Duke’s Mansion.”
"..."
"Miss Xia from the Marquis of Beiliang's mansion presented a jar of 500-year-old fruit wine. Miss Xia the second presented a pair of jade bracelets."
The crowd gasped again: "What! A 500-year-old vintage wine? Isn't that something only the palace has?"
"Putting aside what kind of wine it is, the vintage alone is incredibly rare!"
Xia Wanwan scoffed at this: Five hundred years old? And fruit wine?
Why doesn't she just say it's a thousand-year-old vintage wine?
This is definitely fake!
Although Xia Li was about to suffer a great misfortune, she didn't mind making Xia Li's reputation even worse.
Xia Wanwan cleared her throat, drawing everyone's attention: "Sister, how do you have wine that's 500 years old? We don't even have wine stored at such a high level in our mansion!"
The voice wasn't loud, but everyone heard it clearly, and immediately everyone's inquisitive gaze fell on Xia Li.
That's right. As the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Beiliang, she probably couldn't afford such a precious bar.
The other person just stood there, not saying a word.
In Xia Wanwan's eyes, this behavior meant that the other party had no excuse.
Seeing the doubtful looks on everyone's faces, she was extremely excited.
She continued to fan the flames: "Besides, sister, you don't drink, and we don't have any wine stored in our mansion. Where did this come from? Could it have been bought from outside? But wine of this age has always been only available in the palace. Where can you buy it outside?"
After saying that, Xia Wanwan pretended to realize something and covered her mouth: "Oh my god, sister, you weren't fooled, were you?"
Presenting counterfeit goods at a banquet in the Dongping Marquis's mansion, whether intentional or unintentional, is bound to offend people.
The steward of the Dongping Marquis's mansion also looked at her with an unfriendly expression, as if to say: If you send fake wine, you will be kicked out of the Dongping Marquis's mansion immediately.
Cui Fangshu rushed over and quickly grabbed Xia Wanwan: "Idiot! You're trying to drag the Marquis of Beiliang down with you!"
She smiled awkwardly at everyone, trying to take over the topic.
Instead, Xia Li calmly said to the butler, "Please bring over the gifts I sent."